Children's home run by Action for Children Services Ltd in Watford

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people make excellent progress in all areas of their development, particularly in their independence, social skills and behaviour.  Highly skilled staff provide consistent care that helps to keep young people safe.  Staff provide regular opportunities for young people to be praised and for their achievements to be recognised and valued.  Staff complete accurate assessments that reflect the diverse needs of young people, which, in turn, helps to secure very good matching.  Young people thrive educationally because of the staff team’s commitment to enhancing their learning.  Young people’s individual interests are encouraged and fully supported.  Staff work closely with parents to ensure that young people have consistency of care, including maintaining daily routines.  The manager requests regular feedback from young people, their family members and involved professionals in order to improve the service.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people’s views are highly valued.  The manager ensures that she has strong and productive links with health services, schools and the local authority.  Individual members of staff are well qualified.  The manager demonstrates a high level of commitment to stay up to date with her knowledge, including applying research to help inform staff practice.

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Information about this children's home

The home provides residential short breaks for up to five young people with learning and/or physical disabilities. The service is operated by a charitable organisation in partnership with a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 16/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/01/2016 Full Good 27/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/11/2014 Full Good

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Outstanding

Young people recognise that staff genuinely care about them and, consequently, they feel valued and safe. A young person told the inspector, ‘It’s good here, I have got friends and we play together. I like all the staff but I like it best when [staff member] is here – she is my favourite.’

p.5

Outstanding

All staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Staff are vigilant in their care, to make sure that young people benefit from the nurturing environment, which focuses on their individualised needs.

p.5

Outstanding

There is a clear policy in relation to new admissions to the home. From the point of referral, young people’s history is thoroughly assessed in order to consider compatibility with young people already receiving a short break. This involves matching young people who attend the same school and the same age group. This, in turn, helps young people to maintain friendships.

p.5

Outstanding

The manager ensures that care planning and staff practice is of the highest standard and recognises young people as individuals. Young people's individual needs are documented in their personalised care plans. Staff show a good understanding of these plans and consistently put these into practice, ensuring that young people's unique needs are effectively promoted. This means that young people receive a personalised service that is designed to meet their diverse and individual needs.

p.5

Outstanding

Young people benefit from an inclusive approach to their complex healthcare. Staff effectively communicate with parents and a range of health professionals, to ensure that there is a consistency of care. The manager ensures that medication is stored safely, and arrangements for the administration and recording of prescribed and non-prescribed medication are effective.

p.5

Outstanding

Staff have high aspirations for young people and work in partnership with their teachers to help them to make progress across all aspects of the curriculum, including personal and social development. Care staff know young people's education plans and contribute to their education reviews. Staff are particularly good at recognising young people’s differing abilities to ensure that every young person is suitably challenged to reach their potential. For some young people this has included completing ASDAN qualifications with the support of staff.

p.5

Outstanding

Young people have made measurable progress in developing their independence skills. This, in turn, enables them to develop important life skills. For example, preparing meals, baking, self-care skills and communicating their needs to the adults around them. A parent reported, ‘Since he has been there his independence skills have really come on.’

p.5

Outstanding

The home is well maintained and has a full range of equipment and adaptations to meet the needs of all young people. Staff ensure that young people’s complex needs do not inhibit their opportunities. Young people’s bedrooms are all themed and are bright and colourful, and allow for young people to personalise them for their break.

p.6

Outstanding

Staff make sure that there are a wide and varied range of stimulating activities inside and outside of the home that help to bring fun to young people, but at the same time promote their independence.

p.6

Outstanding

The staff take their responsibility for keeping young people safe very seriously. The safety and well-being of young people is central to their practice. All staff have an in-depth knowledge of risks and young people’s vulnerabilities and follow effective child protection procedures to ensure that they stay vigilant to the importance of safeguarding. Young people’s individual plans clearly identify any risks that they may face, and outline effective strategies to ensure that their welfare is protected. This enables staff to ensure that young people are safe both in the home and while out in the community. A parent told the inspector: ‘They do a great job of keeping her safe, they look after them like they are their own children. I have no worries around her safety.’

p.6

Outstanding

Staff have strong relationships with young people and they are proactive in redirecting any challenging behaviour. This means that there is no need for restraint, and the manager promotes diffusion rather than physical intervention.

p.6

Outstanding

The manager ensures that there are excellent missing-person procedures that link well with the locally agreed protocols and complement young people’s individual risk assessments. Because of the effective implementation of procedures, no young person has gone missing from care.

p.6

Outstanding

Young people benefit from making a positive contribution to their home through the quarterly young persons’ forum. The staff that chair these meetings are skilled in a range of non-verbal communication techniques. This creates a high level of engagement which gives young people enriched opportunities to participate in decisions that affect them. The environment is physically safe. Regular health and safety checks, routine servicing of equipment and robust risk assessments ensure that the home is safe for young people, staff and visitors. Staff are trained in fire safety procedures and they ensure that young people take part in fire evacuation drills so that they understand how to leave the home safely in an emergency.

p.6

Outstanding

The staff recruitment and selection process is thorough, requiring a full assessment and checks of all applicants for work. The management team has implemented a process that enables young people to be involved in the selection process. This gives young people a say in the staff who care for them.

p.7

Outstanding

The home has an appropriately qualified registered manager in place. The manager has been in post since March 2016 and holds a level 5 national vocational qualification in leadership, health and social care. Her practice is extremely child- focused. This includes having effective systems for analysing care, monitoring progress and ensuring that young people are achieving positive outcomes from their stays.

p.7

Outstanding

The manager and all staff model professional standards in all of their work and demonstrate high levels of courtesy and respect for young people in their care. As a result, the home is a caring and cohesive community in which young people are the staff’s top priority.

p.7

Outstanding

The manager works in partnership with other agencies and specialist providers and uses good practice and research to ensure that care puts young people first.

p.7

Outstanding

A stable staff team helps to give young people consistency and familiarity that helps to put them at ease on their arrival for their short break. This is reflected in the excellent relationships that they have made with the staff.

p.7

Outstanding

Staff are competent and have a good understanding of their responsibilities. Staff have all completed mandatory training and this is regularly updated through refresher training. This ensures that all staff are up to date with new legislation and good practice guidance.

p.7

Outstanding

The manager updates her staff through regular meetings. This ensures that they have frequent opportunities to reflect on their practice to help them meet young people’s needs. All staff are qualified or working to gain the relevant qualification for their roles within regulatory timescales. This ensures that staff keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are competent in looking after young people.

p.7

Outstanding

The manager ensures that the home meets the aims and objectives of its statement of purpose. The document is comprehensive and regularly updated to reflect any changes to the home. Additional information in the form of the children’s guide provides clear and child-friendly written and pictorial information enabling young people to know what it is like to stay at the home. This ensures that young people and stakeholders are clear about the purpose of the home and the service and support provided.

p.8

Outstanding

The independent visitor’s monthly monitoring reports review the home’s performance and young people’s progress and identify areas for improvement. Regular consultations with young people are commonplace. This helps to make sure that any improvements have young people’s approval.

p.8

Outstanding

The manager has excellent relationships with families and external agencies. When young people go home after their break, they take a summary document for their families. This includes photographs of what they have done during their stay. One parent said: ‘I get a report of what she has been doing, along with any photos taken, or any pictures she has drawn or food she has baked. It’s great to be able to see what she has been doing.’

p.8

Outstanding

The manager has carried out a risk assessment of the home’s locality in partnership with other agencies. This comprehensive document enables the staff to be aware of any threats to young people in the immediate area of the home.

p.8

Outstanding

There are no requirements or recommendations from the last inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference that adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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